Gien (Loiret)

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Gien
Coat of arms of Gien
Gien (France)
Gien
region Center-Val de Loire
Department Loiret
Arrondissement Montargis
Canton Gien (main town)
Community association Giennoises
Coordinates 47 ° 41 ′  N , 2 ° 38 ′  E Coordinates: 47 ° 41 ′  N , 2 ° 38 ′  E
height 117-190 m
surface 67.86 km 2
Residents 14,007 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 206 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 45500
INSEE code 45155
Website http://www.gien.fr

View of Gien and the Loire

Gien is a French city in the Loiret in the region Center-Val de Loire . The city is located on the Loire about 80 kilometers east of Orléans and 150 kilometers from Paris in a wooded area. It has 14,007 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) and an area of ​​6,786 hectares. Gien was badly damaged by bombing during World War II.

geography

Gien railway station

Gien has had a train station on the Moret-Veneux-les-Sablons-Lyon-Perrache railway since 1861 . This is served by trains of TER Center-Val de Loire the connection Paris-Bercy - Nevers .

history

From the origins to the early modern era

A village settlement (Alt-Gien) already existed in Roman times in today's municipal area. As part of Christianization, Saint Pelerin founded a Christian community in the 3rd century and had a church consecrated to Peter and Paul built. In 760 Pippin the Short stopped in Gien before he went into battle against the Aquitaine . Under Charlemagne , a tower hill castle was built on today's castle grounds , which was some distance from the settlement. The turmoil caused by the decline of the Franconian Empire and the Viking raids in the 10th century led to the abandonment of Alt-Gien and the establishment of a new village near the castle. While the church was under the monastery of Fleury , the fortified village and castle belonged to the Counts of Nevers . In 1199 Gien fell as a result of a cession to Philip II and thus to the French crown.

During the Hundred Years War , the city changed hands several times. In 1429 Johanna von Orléans met the heir to the throne Karl in Gien and convinced him to move to Reims . In 1481 Anne de Beaujeu took over the county of Gien and made the town her seat. During the 41 years of her rule the town grew. The bridge was reconstructed and the city fortifications expanded. The castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style between 1494 and 1500 and expanded into a palace.

From early modern times to today

Gien was a center of the French Reformation . Since 1559 there was a Huguenot community and a house of prayer. Catholic churches were looted and the clergy driven out. As a result, Gien lost its administrative headquarters ( ballei and court ) to Bléneau in 1587 . Over the next century and a half, the gentlemen at Gien Castle changed hands several times. In 1780 the last Count of Gien, Claude Henry Feydeau de Marville, died.

The revolution in the city was bloodless. In 1800 Gien was again the administrative seat, this time as a sub-prefecture of the arrondissement of the same name . In the 19th century, several manufactories and factories also settled there, including a brewery, several dye works and a ceramics factory. The world-famous Faïencerie de Gien porcelain factory was founded in 1821 . In that century, the Loire burst its banks three times and flooded the city - in 1846, 1856 and 1886 - every decade. In 1881 Gien was connected to the Paris - Clermont-Ferrand line by rail .

On June 15, 1940, the German air force bombed the Gien bridge to cut off the French army's ability to retreat across the Loire. The air attack triggered a major fire that destroyed the old town at the foot of the castle. After the flames went out after three days and nights, much of the city had turned to ashes. 422 houses were completely destroyed and 921 partially destroyed, but the castle survived the catastrophe. Reconstruction plans were drawn up as early as 1941. The work could only be started after the Second World War. Numerous houses have been reconstructed in the style of the few remaining houses. In the following decades the city expanded and some new districts and industrial areas were created. In 1972 the place Arrabloy was incorporated.

economy

Craft and industry

The porcelain manufacturer Faïencerie de Gien , which was founded in 1821 and employs around 250 people, is internationally known . In addition, there are larger branches of the companies Otis , Laboratoires Pierre Fabre and Shiseido .

Agriculture

Part of the agricultural area is used for viticulture . The vineyards of the municipality are assigned to the protected designation of origin Coteaux du Giennois . In addition, asparagus and fruit are produced on a large scale in horticultural businesses .

Attractions

Town twinning

There are partnerships with the following municipalities:

Personalities

Web links

Commons : Gien  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Vanessa Yager (Ed.): Ouverts au public. Monuments historiques: chateaux et abbayes, parcs et jardins, sites industriels et archéologiques édifices du XXe siècle. Le guide du patrimoine en France . Monum, Edition du patrimoine, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-85822-760-8 , page 235.